By Laurie Sheril
Part VI: Part VII: Post-War, the '50's: Ed Wood
With the end of World War II, motion pictures entered a new age. Somewhat a return to the age of innocence that films experienced in the silent era. Yes, it was mom, apple pie, Ozzie and Harriet, picket fences and all that! Not exactly the greatest environment for showing men dressed as women on film.
But with the post-war innocence came a few mavericks. The most famous of which was Ed Wood. He was to film making what an elephant is to a tutu. In otherwords: nothing. But seriously, whether Ed Wood had any talent at all has been debated. In this author's humble opinion, he didn't. Granted and true, his films had practically no budget, his actors had no experience, his scripts had no coherence and his directing was non-existent. But Ed Wood had one thing going for him (at least for US!), he was a transvestite. And in his first film he addressed the problems of transvestism and transsexuality in a way it had never before been spoken of in an American movie.
"Glen or Glenda" was a very sincere plea for understanding and compassion for Ts. Unfortunately, along the way, the "message" got lost in ludicrous dialogue, stock footage, Bela Lugosi's rambling cantations, and some of the worst acting this side of last year's senior class play. The sight of Ed Wood in drag was, I'm sure, jolting and no doubt funny to 1950's audiences.
The fact that he didn't make (or perhaps try to make) a very attractive looking woman didn't help. He did attempt to portray the anguished, heterosexual crossdresser coping with his desire, while struggling to tell his fiancée and convincing his ownself that what he was doing was not wrong. Knowing of Wood's own transvestism, we here in the 90's can appreciate his desire to make a serious picture out of a 50's "exploitation" picture.
[Here is a great Sound Clip From Glen or Glenda?Angora Sweater (105K) For more clips from the movie visit Gallery]
In my pinion Ed Wood wasn't really a transvestite. He merely had a fetish. In his case it was for angora sweaters and other "soft" garments. In order to wear his heart's desire, though, it was necessary for him to wear all the other attire associated with a woman. I never saw any evidence that he liked to wear make-up, jewelry, high heels or such, but they were "required" so that he could wear the garments he did like.
The 1950s afforded filmmakers a time when they could make movies quickly and cheaply. Independent productions became more common as the advent of television and an anti-trust agreement which required movie studios to divest themselves of their theaters signaled the end of the majors dominance. Obviously Ed Wood was able to take advantage of this situation and got his films booked in less prestigious theaters and drive-ins.
Although "Glen or Glenda" was Ed Wood's only film to tackle the subject of crossdressing and transsexuality as it's main focus it was by no means the only film when Wood threw in a bit of drag for drag's sake. His film, "The Sinister Urge" featured a brief scene with a policeman going undercover in drag. He was wearing what appears to be an angora sweater.
As Wood's career declined he was forced to find a livelihood making porno films. In one of these, "Take it Out in Trade" he even appeared dressed in drag in a lime green dress, fluffy orange sweater (natch!) , white plastic boots and blonde wig!
Of course Wood's "camp classic" "Plan 9 from Outer Space" featured no crossdressing, but he will still be remembered as the father, er mother, of "transvestite cinema." I'm sure he never in his wildest dreams thought somebody would make a multi-million dollar movie based on his life. Sure, "Ed Wood" the movie bombed at the box office, but nevertheless it did garner an Academy Award for actor Martin Landau for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi.
Ed Wood died December 10th, 1978.....never realizing his greatest acclaim would come only after his death. Had he lived, he would probably have written a book about his life and gone on the talk show circuit to promote it. Wearing an angora sweater, no doubt!
Recommended Reading: "Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr." By Rudolph Grey, Feral House Books, 1994.
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